Morning journal and courier., 1887-11-29
FISH COMMISSIONERS REPORT.


1t shows That the Year Was an OF
Onc-The Shad Matching Not as Sue
cessfuI as FOrInerly-SaImon Not
FIourishinG.
The fish commissioners will present this,
their twenty annual report, to the
Governor in January, 1888:
To His Excellency Phineas c. Lounsbury, Govern
The fish commissioners have the honor to make
their az @ IN T fGT tae
Since the last report was written the country has
United States fish commissioner, who died in the
month of August. 1897. AS the present fish COM
United States fish commission established by
Congress in 1871, they can perhaps more thoroughly
Prof. Baird has accomplished during the administra
ton of the Office The New England commission
in salmon breeding They had demonstrated that
the adult fish taken in the spring and early sum-
tober and November, could be successfully used
for procuring eggs, which in due time Matched and
limited means at the disposal of these State com
Inissioners, the operations were necessarily con-
ter his appointment became interested in this work
and has since contributed the greatest part
Baird was singuarly fitted for the position of Uni
ted States fish commissioner His training
matter submitted to him, and he realized as well
the importance of comprehensive plan for the
ough attention to the smallest minutiB of the work.
His operations became more and more extensive as
and eventually he was as well known in Europe as
at home, and secured for the United states the
progressive fish commission in the world.
His successful Introduction of shad to the
rivers Of the Pacific coast and stocking the ponds
of almost every State in the Union with German
carp, perhaps the most remarkable triumphs of
his term. Your commissioners met Prof. Baird
soon after his appointment, have been in frequent
correspondence with him during his whole term of
office, and many times have had occasion to con-
suit him personally in regard to matters of interest
to Connecticut. He has often cooperated with
them in their work and their association with him
has not only been agreeable, but proved profitable
to the State Each year has increased their respect
and admiration for his character and his loss will
be the deeply felt on account of their long in
The President has appointed to the office made va
cant by the death of Prof. Baird one who has been
his principal assistant, who is thoroughly acquant
is believed by all who know him to be eminently
qualified to assume the mantle OF his departed
that Prof G. Brown Goode succeeds Prof. Baird as
fish commissioner of the United States.
annually elicitiDg more and of the public at
tention Rarely does one take up a paper without
relations between the United States and Canada
regarding the fishery question: Eminent men in
to the emergeney' The State of New York how
finds itself in position similar to that of Connecti
that time coming into the Connecticut river, and
nearly every one of them was captured before it
mad Travelled nfteen miles up the river: Inc COM
nissfoners were powerless to prevent it. They had
begged the previous legislature to protect the sal
mon which they were sure would appear, bit were
laughed to scorn crazy fanatics. The five hun
dred Connecticut river salmon of 1873 caused quite
a temporary excitement sold for about one dollar
per pound, and became thing of the past. Four
States had cooperated to- produce those
cut received the whole benefit. II may be readily
conceived that the other States do not desire to
sist Connecticut in any further operations upon the
of salmon planting several years since, about thirty
salmon were reported to have been taken in the
ssioners of that State now surviving to prevent
the capture of salmon which are intended to stock
the river and unhesitatngly refer to the result in
will be accomplished, but fishermen are much
alike, and fifteen or twenty pound salmon proves
too great temptation to nearly all of them
The report gives extracts from various
newspapers throughout the country, giving
accounts of the catches and the result of
propagation.
In the course of the report of Mr.. Henry J.
Fenton of the shad Matching operations on
the Housstonic river at Birmingham for 1887
he says. III was favored with an unusual
ceeded in taking 10, 044, 600 eggs and hatch
ing 8, 1877 900 fish, of which 5000, 600 were
planted in the Connecticut river and it's
tributaries, A, 1877 900 in the Housatonio riv-
or, thus exceeding the number of eggs taken
last year !, 112, 900, and the number of fry
planted 799, 000."
The financial statement shows that Henry
]. Fenton was paid $3.50 for 100000 trout,
1920 to the same for $4,000 trout, 1910 to
the same for shad Matching, $25 to Robert B.
Chalker for collecting shad statistics and
5000 for the pay and expenses of the COM
missioners for the year.